My sense is that our usual recommendations of Royal Road and Erdnase's Expert at the Card Table turn people off to books. I love books but I struggled through Royal Road - pretty much skimming the last third of the book. Great stuff in it, but the writing is dated. I've tried to read Expert at the Card Table but could never get the love and obsession devoted to that book. Despite my love for Encyclopedia of Card Tricks, I can only read a chapter at a time without getting bored. I probably should read Tarbell cover to cover, but I find myself using it more as a reference.
That said, Card College is an easier read, but still seems very much like a textbook. But then, recent books like Impossibilia, Art of Astonishment, Books of Wonder, One Degree, Conjuring, Prism, Vortex, Aretology of Vanni Bossi, Drawing Room Deceptions are a joy to read and difficult to put down. In fact, I find myself reading the books and then going back and working though the routines that I like.